Introduced back at the 2013 edition of the Geneva Motor Show, the latest Porsche 911 GT3 (991) brings quite a hefty amount of curious novelties compared with its previous generations, which were always known as the most racing-like 911s in the Porsche lineup at any given time. Things like active engine mounts are now accompanied by an electronically-controlled rear-wheel steering system and - for the first time ever – there is no manual gearbox, nor an electro-hydraulic steering.

While old-school Porsche purists probably frowned at the aforementioned additions, just like how many of them cancelled Porsche’s man card when the 911 finally switched to water-cooled engines, the truth is that the latest GT3 is still every bit of a man’s car. Sure it’s much less of a widow-maker than ever before, but by making it less dangerous, Porsche certainly didn’t make it less scary.

Its 3.8-liter flat-six now offers a banshee scream up to its stratospheric 9,000 rpm redline, while the rear-biased weight is still making it act like a pendulum during rapid left/right maneuvers.With 475 horsepower on tap from a naturally-aspirated engine which is paired with arguably the best dual-clutch transmission out othere, the new 911 GT3 is once again showing Porsche’s motorsport prowess in a road-going package. Sure, the model’s early 2014 recall for fiery engines put a slight dent in the model’s image, but this is still one of the most desirable Porsches in the current lineup.

Motor Trend’s Carlos Lago seems downright amazed by both the model’s capabilities and that amazing flat-six howl at higher rpm, while Randy Pobst’s GT3 shakedown on the Willow Spring circuit will probably fill you with joy as it achieves a lap time not much slower than the bonkers 918 Spyder. Isn’t this a great era for performance cars?